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Sunday, April 9
Worship Service - 9:15 and 11:00am
"Transformation in Our Times"
Rev. Bret will address the racial divisions of our times, even within our faith movement, as an opportunity for the kind of creative transformation we believe possible in the world.
Paula Walowitz, Elaine Burgher and Suzanne Suzanne Jerrett are guest musicians this Sunday. Paula and Elaine have been singing together since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Paula sang in, and wrote original songs for, her band Surren-der Dorothy, which performed locally in the 1980s. Suzanne is a recent addition to Pau-la and Elaine's performances as a hot percussionist and Elaine's fiancé. Nowadays, the three of them mostly perform at UCE, whenever they're asked.
Religious Education
This Sunday our preschool, kindergarten-first-second grade, and third-fourth-fifth grade classes will meet from 9:15-10:30 and 11:00-12:15. All begin in the sanctuary for the first part of the worship service before going to classes.
Starting time for the sixth-seventh-eighth grade class to watch Where to Invade Next is 10:00am. Senior high meets at 11:00am.
Childcare for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers is available from 9:00-12:30.
Town Hall Meeting - 12:30pm
Crackerbarrel - 9:30am
"Blueprint for Revolution"
Armed with only a hammy sense of humor and the goal of toppling dictator Slobodan Milosevic, Popovic contributed to the autocrat's ousting in 2000. Throughout the book, Popovic weaves in bits of his own experience leading Otpor! In Serbia and later as a founder of CANVAS (Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies), helming training sessions in Otpor! Methodology to burgeoning dissident groups from Egypt, the Maldives and Syria. Popovic's penchant for absurdity and troublemaking is balanced by his criteria for effectiveness. Could Popovic's approach be useful in today's contentious time? Discussion Leader: Jim Kepler. Click here for upcoming topics.
Join us to stand in support of Black Lives Matter
12:10pm-12:30pm
You are invited to stand on Ridge Avenue between 12:10pm and 12:30pm to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Signs and buttons are available for purchase at the back of the sanctuary. Signs and song lyrics will be provided for use.
Sponsored by the REAL team.
The Chris Isely Cancer Support Group -
9:15am
The group is open to anyone facing cancer, either personally or through a family member or friend. This lay-led group is a safe place for sharing and hope. Interested participants are encouraged to drop in any time. Questions? Contact Renee Hoff or Brian Meister.
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Thanks to all of you who gave generously and promptly to this year's pledge drive. Unfortunately, with just a few pledges still outstanding, we are $30,000, or 5%, short against our goal of $585,000.
Our staff has done a thorough review of the budget to identify where cuts could be made, but it still leaves us short. With our budgetary goals in mind--funding the new Director of Religious Education position, the Assistant Minister position which will be filled by Eileen Wiviott, the ministerial internship position, and the part-time audio-visual technician--we'd like to request you to consider whether you could stretch a bit further and increase your pledge for next year. Several of our members have already come forward to do so.
To increase, you can submit a new pledge form by clicking
here
, complete and submit a new pledge form to the office, or complete a green form that will be in your order of service on Sunday.
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Sunday, April 16 - 9:15 and 11:00am
"Jesus on the Plain, an Easter Message"
To find the historical Jesus, one may turn to the core teachings found in his parables and sermons. What do they say to us free thinkers? How can they help raise our spirits from the depths of despair, and help those hungry for healing and wholeness? Rev. Bret Lortie speaking.
Sunday, April 23, 9:15am and 11:00am
"Living the Interdependent Web: Earth Day"
It is a spiritual stance as well as a scientific fact that we humans are part an interdependent web, together with all living things. Reflections for Earth Day on what it means to respect, revere, and participate in the interdependent web. A worship service for all ages. Rev. Connie Grant leading.
Sunday, April 30 - 9:15 and 11:00am
"Let's Change the World!"
UUSC President and CEO Tom Andrews, former Member of Congress from Maine and long-time activist, will talk about how religious communities may be key to major social change in the years ahead and what Unitarian Universalists in particular can do to make that so.
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Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6
The rummage sale is one of our major fundraising events of the year. This year, Set-up Sunday is April 30. We will have a sign-up board at the back of sanctuary every Sunday until the sale. There are many opportunities for service, community building and fun!
We need volunteers Sunday, April 30 after church from 12:30pm-3:00pm and 3:00pm-6:00pm, Monday and Tuesday, 9:00am-8:00pm, Wednesday 9:00am-5:00pm. Generally, jobs are setting-up, organizing, and sorting.
We also need volunteers to cook for noon meals M-F for workers and to make home baked goods for sale on Friday and Saturday.
Another important need is people to work during the sale - Friday, May 5 9:00am-5:00pm and Saturday, May 6 9:00am-12:00pm. We also need desk attendants M-Th 9:00am-9:00pm.
Please help make our rummage sale a success!
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 On Saturday, March 25, the REAL team presented a program titled "Women Making Change" to focus on the accomplishments and the stories of the African American women in this community. It was attended by at least one hundred twenty people who enjoyed a hearty meal and engaged in lively discussion.
The program was designed to offer a chance for all citizens in Evanston to join together in sharing a meal, which was the particular goal of Gretchen Brewster, to discuss their ideas about the issues facing women and to hear the ideas and experiences of local African American women of note.
Click here to read more and for photos.
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Join us this coming Thursday for a special Maundy Thursday service at UCE. Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) derives its name from the Latin word mandatum which means "commandment." Scripture tells us that on the night of his betrayal and arrest, Jesus shared a final meal of bread and wine with his disciples, a meal that came to be known as the Last Supper. During the meal, Jesus instructs the disciples to "do this in remembrance of me" after his death.
Christians around the world have been following Jesus' command for centuries by celebrating the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. In the not too distant past, Unitarians and Universalists used to be among them. Even today we claim Jewish and Christian teachings as one of the six sources of our faith tradition. So this Maundy Thursday you are invited to reconnect with our Judeo-Christian heritage by commemorating the Last Supper with an open table Holy Communion service.
If you have any questions, please contact Heike Eghardt
or Rev. Bret Lortie.
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On Easter Sunday, April 16, children in Preschool through Fifth Grade are invited to participate in a "canned goods hunt" at 10:30 am (between the 9:15 and 11:00 religious education sessions). Children will hunt for the hidden cans and then trade in the cans they find for a small bag of toys and treats. Our senior high youth will organize the event and assist children in the cooperative "hunt."
Please bring in your donations of canned goods by Sunday, April 9 and place them in the labeled bin in the lobby. After the "hunt," the canned goods will be donated to Hillside Food Pantry.
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Easter Brunch
Sunday, April 16, 12:15pm 
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Homemade breakfast casseroles and pastries, baked ham, and accompaniments will be provided on Easter Sunday by our Journeys students and mentors as a fundraiser for their Boston trip. Help them get to Boston (and back) and enjoy a festive brunch following the 11:00 service and religious education session!
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UCE members and staff will be participating in the Friday night worship service at our upcoming Regional Assembly in Oak Brook IL on April 28. Vickie Hellyer will lead our choir during the service. Rev. Bret will also have a part in the service; and Rev. Scott Aaseng will be installed as the director of UUANI, with Rev. Alan Taylor leading the installation. After the worship service, we will hear all 3 of the UUA presidential candidates talk about their visions for the UUA. There are 12 or us already registered for this weekend event now. You can still register. Click here for details about the event.
Contact Lee Bannor or Shirley Adams or Peggy Boccard if you have questions.
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If you are in a caregiving role of any sort, we invite you to drop in at the next Caregiver Support Group. In April, we meet on April 11 and April 25 from 7-8:30pm. If you have questions, please contact Renee Hoff
or Joyce Lofstrom.
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Do you have a task around your home that you need help with?
Hire a team of UCE Journeys students to get a lot done in a little time! As a fundraiser for their Boston trip they will be available for hire to help with household tasks such as yard work, garage cleanup, or getting "rummage" together for the upcoming sale. Hourly rate for a team of three youth and an adult supervisor is $50.00 (minimum two hours), with Saturday mornings or afternoons and Sunday afternoons available in April. Please contact
Valerie Curtis
with a description of what you need done and an estimate of how long it will take. We can then get a crew together and schedule a time.
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The Green Team & Heirloom Seeds
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Do you need seeds for your garden? Heirloom seeds, with support of the Green Team, will be available for purchase at the back of the sanctuary. Heirloom seeds promote biodiversity which helps us all. What can you do to help?
1). Check out
SeedsSavers.org and pick out a few seeds you'd like to order for your garden this year.
2) Come to the table at the back of the sanctuary & order your seeds on April 2 or April 9
3) We will order the seeds on April 10 and you can pick them up at UCE on April 16 (Easter).
The Green Team will pay the shipping and you'll be helping promote biodiversity!
"We can only preserve heirloom seeds through active stewardship. If we don't use them, if we don't allow them to grow again, they become lost."
- Diane Ott Whealy, Co-Founder of Seed Savers Exchange
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Social Justice Council
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The Social Justice Council will meet at 7pm on Wednesday, April 12. Each team will have one representative at the meeting, but all team members are invited to bring salad or bread for a soup supper at 6pm provided by Steve Serikaku; contact
Shirley Adams for more info about the potluck.
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Re-Visioning our Work for Justice Workshop Saturday, April 15, 9am-noon
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Rev. Scott Aaseng, our interim Faith in Action Minister, will present a workshop on "Re-Visioning our Work for Justice." This will include clarifying goals based on congregational success stories, exploring various forms of social action and strategies for impact, and using criteria for focusing moving forward.
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News from the Green Team
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Two important marches are occurring in the month of April, the March for Science and the People's Climate March. The main marches will be in D.C. with satellite marches around the country.
Let's get a group from UCE to attend the Chicago marches and make our voices heard!
The march touts the importance and value of science and research. Participants will gather at 10 a.m. on S. Columbus Drive and the march begins at 11 a.m. The march will head toward Museum Campus where there will be a science expo from noon to 3 p.m. Details on the expo are forthcoming.
If you are interested in attending the March for Science as a UCE group, please contact Heather Brown
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Update on Atheism
Continues Tuesdays, April 11, 18 & 25, 7:00pm
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We'll consider each of the four "angry atheists" from 10 years ago (Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens, and Harris) when they first became well-known. Where are they and their arguments now? We will review their initial statements, the criticisms, the rebuttals, and some more recent writings. Did the angry atheists spark a new consideration of atheism, agnosticism, and naturalism? We'll look at famous atheists in history and their contributions to the current debate, as well as some recent studies on the sociology of belief. Suggested reading: Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (2006); Sam Harris The End of Faith (2004); Greg Epstein Good Without God (2009). Facilitated by Dick Whitaker and Bill Irons. Click here to register.
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Caregivers' Journey
Tuesdays, May 9, 16 & 23, 7:00pm
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Energy Management for Caregivers: Being a caregiver is a deeply stressful and meaningful experience. In our first session, we will explore questions about stress, energy management, and ways the caregiver can use mindfulness techniques to help them help themselves-and then become more comfortable caregiving as a result.
Conversations with our Loved Ones: In our second session, we will help the caregiver think through different situations and levels of care, navigate your loved ones' wishes for their own care, and have difficult conversations with them about advance directives.
Making Meaning: In our third session, we will explore questions of meaning and purpose-how do our Unitarian Universalist values help shape our understanding of caregiving as an important part of our beliefs and values?
Facilitated by Rev. Elizabeth Harding, A.M., M.Div., LSW. Elizabeth grew up Unitarian Universalist and is a bereavement counselor with JourneyCare, the state's largest nonprofit hospice and palliative care provider. She is an affiliated community minister with the Second Unitarian Church of Chicago.
Click here to register, or sign up on the Religious Education bulletin board.
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Rainbow Alliance Lunch
Saturday, April 8, 12:00pm at the Celtic Knot
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The Rainbow Alliance invites you to share a meal with them on Saturday, April 8 at the Celtic Knot (626 Church, Evanston) at 12:00pm. This is a purely social event. We welcome all UCE folks to come and imbibe with us. Please RSVP to
figkerl@gmail.com so that we can make an accurate reservation.
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Upcoming UCE Events
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Sunday, April 9, 12:30pm
Town Hall Meeting
Tuesdays, April 11, 18 and 25, 7:00pm
Update on Atheism
Thursday, April 13, 7:30pm
Maundy Thursday Communion
Saturday, April 15, 9:00am
Re-visioning our Work for Justice Workshop
Sunday, April 16, 10:30am
Hunting for Canned Goods
Sunday, April 16, 12:15pm
Easter Brunch
Sunday, April 23, 12:15pm
Veggie Lunch
Friday, May 6 and Sat. May 7
Rummage Sale
Thursday Nights, 5:30pm
Meditation Group
Thursday Nights, 7pm
UCE Addictions and Recovery Group
Sunday Mornings, 8:15am & Wednesday Mornings, 9:30am
Yoga
Saturdays at 10:00am
Open Drumming Circles
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Veggie Lunch Sponsored by the Green Team
Please join us on Sunday April 23 for a Green Team-sponsored, organic and meat-free luncheon to celebrate Earth Day and our green accomplishments at UCE.
Lunch will be in room 3 immediately after the second service, and we will have informational tables from local energy consumer and climate advocacy groups.
A donation of $7 per person or $15 per family is requested. For questions or if you would like to volunteer to donate a food item, contact
Heather Brown.
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2017 Soup Kitchens
UCE hosts soup kitchens when our neighbor Beth Emet is celebrating the Jewish holidays. We have added two dates this year to assist Second Baptist Church. March your calendars for the following dates:
Wednesdays
April 12,
September 20, 27, October 4 and October 11 at UCE
Mondays - August 14 and August 21 at Second Baptist Church.
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Fiction Book Group
Members and guests are invited to read and discuss
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild.
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UU Identity Discussions
Continued learning opportunities offered monthly by the New Member Committee; open to all who want to better understand what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist, no matter where you are on the membership journey:
Principles and Sources Class
1st Sundays 10:15 - 11am
Whether you are new to Unitarian Universalism or you would like to better understand the seven principles and six sources of our faith, join us for this rich 45-minute discussion led by members of the New Member Committee. We
'
ll use thought provoking metaphors to dive deeper into the foundations of being a UU.
Next Principles & Sources Class: April 2 between services.
Spiritual Journeys -
a 3-part conversation
2nd, 3rd, 4th Sundays
at 10:15-11am
We'll explore our religious and spiritual backgrounds, where we come from, what we want to cherish and what we want to release as we continue our journeys. This is a conversation open to all no matter where you are on the path - exploring membership, new members and long-term members alike. You can participate in any one or all three in any order.
Next Spiritual Journeys Sessions: 4/9, 4/16, 4/23.
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Yoga at UCE
Join us every Sunday at 8:15am and every Wednesday at 9:30am.
Yoga at UCE is designed to reduce stress, bring relaxation, increase range of motion, and find balance - restorative yoga. If you never have done yoga before, this is your opportunity. Drop in, wear comfortable clothing for stretching, and try it. Yoga is learned by doing. Community yoga mats provided if needed.
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Hands on Habitat Restoration with the Evanston Interreligious Sustainability Circle
Harms Woods Forest Preserve
Sunday May 7, 2017 1pm - 4pm
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Opportunities
for Spiritual Practice
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Upcoming Membership Classes
For those who are thinking about becoming a member of the church.
Intro to Unitarian Universalism
Sat. May 6,
10:00 - 11:30am
Led by Rev. Bret Lortie, we'll look at our history, our principles, the sources of our faith, and the meaning of covenant. (This is the first step in the membership process.)
Orientation Toward Membership
Sat. May 13, 9am - 12pm
Led by Rev. Connie Grant, Membership Director Eileen Wiviott, and members of the New Member Committee. An interactive class exploring our spiritual journeys, the diversity of our beliefs, and what it means to be a member of this congregation. (This is the second step in the membership process.)
Sign up at the Guest & Member Table in the lobby or email
Eileen Wiviott. There will be childcare available upon request in advance for both of these classes.
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Ministers' Schedules
Rev. Bret Lortie
is available on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and by appointment. Monday is sabbath and Friday devoted to writing. To send a message or read Rev. Bret's blog, visit
www.liberalfaith.org
.
Rev. Connie Grant is generally in the office during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and often has evening meetings on those days. She takes Mondays off and works at home on Fridays. Please email or call Connie for an appointment.
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Quick Links
(protected documents)
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